COVID Isolation HA questions, fire away !

[Florida_gal_50]

Just now, echoshipmate said:

We wear ours's when out of the cabin, except eating and drinking and avoid gatherings, just being aware of surroundings. No shows, no problem for us. So far, so good with over 84 days since the re-start!

Yes, me too.  Just in case anyone might get confused I don’t wear mine in the cabin 😛.

[Shmoo here]

45 minutes ago, echoshipmate said:

So by passengers not wearing masks doesn't that mean passengers are not caring enough about the crew? It's their livelihood, families at home counting on them. Sounds selfish to me.

Doug

Yep.

[albingirl]

56 minutes ago, echoshipmate said:

That is what bothers me. HAL requires their hard working staff to wear masks 100% of the time, but not passengers. Doesn't that send a message that they care more about their staff(as they should) than us passengers? Required for staff, but not for us?

Doug

Not at all.  I interpret it as they are trying to protect you, the passenger.

[echoshipmate]

So, shouldn't we, the passengers, show the same respect and protect the crew?

Doug

[albingirl]

2 hours ago, echoshipmate said:

So, shouldn't we, the passengers, show the same respect and protect the crew?

Doug

sure

[Riversedge]

8 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

May I introduce you to Mr. N95?

I don’t think Mr. N95 worked on our cruise.  There were a lot of Covid cases and HAL gave out N95’s to everyone.  Most wore those vs cloth ones.   This was January and masks were required.  I would wear one now, required or not.  

[visagrunt]

A propos service items, some people seem to be labouring under a misapprehension about transmission.

Covid is not "airborne."  It transmits via aerosols (microscopic water droplets).  They can be found *everywhere*.  In the air, yes, but even moreso in soft fittings, countertops and--most relevantly--utensils and glassware.  If it has been in your mouth, it is absolutely covered in aerosols that are loaded with whatever viruses you happen to be carrying.

Touch is an extraordinarily effective means of getting the virus into a new host.  Remember the cautions from two years ago:  "Don't touch your face!"

Providing quarantine cabins with glassware and cutlery that passengers will reuse is a potential amenity.  But it still creates risk.

[Chinook Wind]

I'm going to jump in here as I was just on the Zuiderdam's14 day Sea of Cortez cruise. 

 

Personally, I wore a mask when I left my stateroom except when I was seated in the DR and at the pool.  I would estimate that during the San Diego to San Diego leg of the itinerary about 15% of the pax were wearing a mask.  HAL provided us with KN95 masks at embarkation and again half way through the trip.  Masking in the Lido was particularly low.  The Lincoln Centre was about 90% masked.  BB King's was almost zero.  I never rode the elevator with anyone not masked and if anyone jumped on when I was already standing there masked, I would get out.

 

When we Canadians had to go through US Customs in the Dining Room the crew were enforcing the mandatory masking -- the guy in line ahead of me would just pull his mask back down under his chin when the crew wasn't looking (jerk).  So not all Canadians are angels. 😇

 

On the second leg of the itinerary the percentage of mask wearing went up considerably as the folks travelling to Vancouver were pretty much all Canadians and as stated in another post, we seem to be more used to wearing our masks.

 

This cruise was my first trip outside of my town since I was on the Oosterdam cruise that ended March 14, 2020 and the subsequent lockdown(s) so I was naturally cautious.

 

I was aware that there were of people in Covid Quarantine because our stateroom was on Deck 6 and we saw many room service deliveries headed down the hall towards the blocked off area (the cardboard gave it away...) so seeing that was an excellent motivator to keep masked and careful. 😳

 

The one thing that I found extraordinary -- and a potential "super spreader" for both Covid and Noro -- was the re-opening of the self-serve Taco Bar. Holy crap.

 

Bottom line:  I don't care that a couple of people told me that the "pandemic is over" and asked me why I was still wearing a mask, the most important thing is that since I've been home I've tested negative and my June Alaska cruise is a go!  ✌️

[Florida_gal_50]

32 minutes ago, Chinook Wind said:

I'm going to jump in here as I was just on the Zuiderdam's14 day Sea of Cortez cruise. 

 

Personally, I wore a mask when I left my stateroom except when I was seated in the DR and at the pool.  I would estimate that during the San Diego to San Diego leg of the itinerary about 15% of the pax were wearing a mask.  HAL provided us with KN95 masks at embarkation and again half way through the trip.  Masking in the Lido was particularly low.  The Lincoln Centre was about 90% masked.  BB King's was almost zero.  I never rode the elevator with anyone not masked and if anyone jumped on when I was already standing there masked, I would get out.

 

When we Canadians had to go through US Customs in the Dining Room the crew were enforcing the mandatory masking -- the guy in line ahead of me would just pull his mask back down under his chin when the crew wasn't looking (jerk).  So not all Canadians are angels. 😇

 

On the second leg of the itinerary the percentage of mask wearing went up considerably as the folks travelling to Vancouver were pretty much all Canadians and as stated in another post, we seem to be more used to wearing our masks.

 

This cruise was my first trip outside of my town since I was on the Oosterdam cruise that ended March 14, 2020 and the subsequent lockdown(s) so I was naturally cautious.

 

I was aware that there were of people in Covid Quarantine because our stateroom was on Deck 6 and we saw many room service deliveries headed down the hall towards the blocked off area (the cardboard gave it away...) so seeing that was an excellent motivator to keep masked and careful. 😳

 

The one thing that I found extraordinary -- and a potential "super spreader" for both Covid and Noro -- was the re-opening of the self-serve Taco Bar. Holy crap.

 

Bottom line:  I don't care that a couple of people told me that the "pandemic is over" and asked me why I was still wearing a mask, the most important thing is that since I've been home I've tested negative and my June Alaska cruise is a go!  ✌️

I thought I was the only one grossed out by the taco bar🤮.  Good to hear I have company.  Thanks for all the information you provided in your post about your cruise.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I too wondered about the opening of the taco bar. I loved it back in the day but don't think so yet in these current times.

[KroozNut]

2 hours ago, Chinook Wind said:

I'm going to jump in here as I was just on the Zuiderdam's14 day Sea of Cortez cruise. 

 

Personally, I wore a mask when I left my stateroom except when I was seated in the DR and at the pool.  I would estimate that during the San Diego to San Diego leg of the itinerary about 15% of the pax were wearing a mask.  HAL provided us with KN95 masks at embarkation and again half way through the trip.  Masking in the Lido was particularly low.  The Lincoln Centre was about 90% masked.  BB King's was almost zero.  I never rode the elevator with anyone not masked and if anyone jumped on when I was already standing there masked, I would get out.

 

When we Canadians had to go through US Customs in the Dining Room the crew were enforcing the mandatory masking -- the guy in line ahead of me would just pull his mask back down under his chin when the crew wasn't looking (jerk).  So not all Canadians are angels. 😇

 

On the second leg of the itinerary the percentage of mask wearing went up considerably as the folks travelling to Vancouver were pretty much all Canadians and as stated in another post, we seem to be more used to wearing our masks.

 

This cruise was my first trip outside of my town since I was on the Oosterdam cruise that ended March 14, 2020 and the subsequent lockdown(s) so I was naturally cautious.

 

I was aware that there were of people in Covid Quarantine because our stateroom was on Deck 6 and we saw many room service deliveries headed down the hall towards the blocked off area (the cardboard gave it away...) so seeing that was an excellent motivator to keep masked and careful. 😳

 

The one thing that I found extraordinary -- and a potential "super spreader" for both Covid and Noro -- was the re-opening of the self-serve Taco Bar. Holy crap.

 

Bottom line:  I don't care that a couple of people told me that the "pandemic is over" and asked me why I was still wearing a mask, the most important thing is that since I've been home I've tested negative and my June Alaska cruise is a go!  ✌️

 

We were on the SD to SD segment of that cruise, and had a different experience. DW and I never wore our masks, from stepping onboard to stepping off. We enjoyed all the different venues (MDR, Lido, Lincoln Center BB King's, Billboard Onboard, etc.) to the fullest, and enjoyed every minute of our vacation.

 

We also tested negative upon returning home, so in retrospect, I would choose our approach in the future... and we intend to.

[goldie099]

6 hours ago, echoshipmate said:

So by passengers not wearing masks doesn't that mean passengers are not caring enough about the crew? It's their livelihood, families at home counting on them. Sounds selfish to me.

Doug

That's how I see it, yup. Unfortunately many governments and public health agencies have publicized messaging around masks and lifting of pandemic protocols, and naturally, everyone is eager to return to "normal". Given how little we know about long term effects of this virus, I think it's a relatively simple measure to wear a well fitting mask to protect myself and my community from continued infection and reinfection. Of course, it works best when everyone is masked. We're over 2 years into the pandemic, you should know which masks are comfortable for you and which are less comfortable. And if you can afford to cruise, you are likely able able to afford to try a variety of masks to find one that is comfortable.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, goldie099 said:

That's how I see it, yup. Unfortunately many governments and public health agencies have publicized messaging around masks and lifting of pandemic protocols, and naturally, everyone is eager to return to "normal". Given how little we know about long term effects of this virus, I think it's a relatively simple measure to wear a well fitting mask to protect myself and my community from continued infection and reinfection. Of course, it works best when everyone is masked. We're over 2 years into the pandemic, you should know which masks are comfortable for you and which are less comfortable. And if you can afford to cruise, you are likely able able to afford to try a variety of masks to find one that is comfortable.

This is how I feel.  It’s clear there is a difference between the USA and Canada.  I was in San Diego in November and no one was wearing a mask.  I went to the buffet and not one person was wearing a mask.  These weren’t people that were eating. I was hearing how “strict” California was about mask wearing.  I think they need to visit Canada to get perspective. 

[KroozNut]

8 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think they need to visit Canada to get perspective. 

 

Ummm, thanks, but no thanks!

[Chinook Wind]

2 hours ago, KroozNut said:

"We also tested negative upon returning home, so in retrospect, I would choose our approach in the future... and we intend to."

 

Well,  you do you and I'll do me.

 

Received an email from a neighbour who just returned from their Vancouver>Hawaii> Vancouver cruise who said that when the cruise started their ship was level "green" but soon after they left Hawaii en route back to Vancouver there were enough positive Covid cases on board to qualify the ship as "orange".  The Captain subsequently ordered mandatory masking.  So there's that...

 

[Florida_gal_50]

8 hours ago, KroozNut said:

 

We were on the SD to SD segment of that cruise, and had a different experience. DW and I never wore our masks, from stepping onboard to stepping off. We enjoyed all the different venues (MDR, Lido, Lincoln Center BB King's, Billboard Onboard, etc.) to the fullest, and enjoyed every minute of our vacation.

 

We also tested negative upon returning home, so in retrospect, I would choose our approach in the future... and we intend to.

Didn’t you say that you had covid a couple months ago?  That would be a huge reason your “approach” worked.  I’d be pretty surprised if anyone got covid again that soon.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 hours ago, Chinook Wind said:

 

Well,  you do you and I'll do me.

 

Received an email from a neighbour who just returned from their Vancouver>Hawaii> Vancouver cruise who said that when the cruise started their ship was level "green" but soon after they left Hawaii en route back to Vancouver there were enough positive Covid cases on board to qualify the ship as "orange".  The Captain subsequently ordered mandatory masking.  So there's that...

 

I was on the ship from mar 6 to 20th.  It was also green those two weeks because that was just the start of removing the mask mandate. If it was still in place I highly doubt they’d be having the cases they are now.

[BermudaBound2014]

Let us not forget that the OP wore a N95 mask. If the return to sailing has taught us anything, it is that it impossible to keep Covid off cruise ships regardless of protocol. Similar amount of orange (then yellow) was identified on ships when masking was the protocol. I believe the variable in question is length of cruise and population density, but we don't have enough data to draw conclusions on either yet.

 

If you are physically or mentally vulnerable to the virus, it is probably a good idea to select a vacation with less population density.  Since I have no comorbidities I am not afraid of the virus itself, but I won't be placing myself in a position of possible quarantine when the rest of the world is wide open to travel. I do miss cruising, but I've found excellent work-arounds 😉

[syesmar]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Similar amount of orange (then yellow) was identified on ships when masking was the protocol....

Here's some data for HAL ships specifically. This Thread has tracked nearly every color status change on HAL ships in US waters since the re-start: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2794220-cdc-yellow-category-for-na-does-anyone-have-any-info-as-to-why/

From September - December, passenger-carrying HAL ships were not always Yellow (now would be Orange). There were ups and downs among the various ships. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2794220-cdc-yellow-category-for-na-does-anyone-have-any-info-as-to-why/page/5/

Since the December 21st update (and the obvious prevalence of Omicron and its subvariants), the majority of passenger-carrying HAL ships in US waters have remained consistently at the highest color status, with a little variation here and there in the weeks that followed.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2794220-cdc-yellow-category-for-na-does-anyone-have-any-info-as-to-why/page/6/#comment-62326816

Since the 4/18 update, however, all passenger-carrying HAL ships in US waters have remained Orange; there have been no color status improvements for passenger-carrying HAL ships since that date. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2794220-cdc-yellow-category-for-na-does-anyone-have-any-info-as-to-why/page/8/#comment-63055027

[five.]

Any clue what happens if the person is in an accessible cabin initially? Are there accessible equipped cabins within the quarantine wing?

[KroozNut]

8 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Didn’t you say that you had covid a couple months ago?  That would be a huge reason your “approach” worked.  I’d be pretty surprised if anyone got covid again that soon.

Yes I did... back in January. And I did mention that this fact, as well as being quadruple vaxed likely helped me. I definitely felt well protected..

[Florida_gal_50]

I guess people don't realize that wearing a mask helps others stay healthy.   That's not important clearly, especially for the crew that have gone without pay for 2 years.

[*Miss G*]

On 4/30/2022 at 5:23 PM, Cate1 said:

Home … observations

It’s a roll of dice , cruising is high risk activity re Covid

Triple vaccinated , no prior health issues

Worked for 2 years as health care professional , no covid

first vacation and got COVID about 8 days in

wore N95 ( only applicable mask ) and never shared an elevator 

was careful

 

Wrong wrong wrong if folks think COVID is always mild illness

8 days in still unwell

Isolation on a cruise ship horrid

 

Wait another while to cruise

 

 

How are you feeling?  Do you have any advice or comments regarding disembarkation and your return home?

[BermudaBound2014]

@syesmarthank you for that link.

 

I used to have a statistician on my staff who liked to remind us that it was her job to crunch the numbers until they confessed. This data is prime for crunching. 

 

This data is consistent with my observations regarding other cruise lines over time, but we still can't draw any meaningful conclusions from it. For example, currently there are cruise ships in the yellow category that allow unvaccinated children and guests with medical/religious exemptions. Examining raw data could lead to the conclusion that requiring all guests to be vaccinated makes zero difference with CDC color since HAL (requiring vaccination) fares no better/worse than lines who are allowing unvaccinated guests onboard.

 

Regarding mask wearing, there are several variables that have changed since last fall. Population density has increased. In addition,  length of cruise seems to be a variable associated with guests being quarantined since the longer sailings have had more reports of quarantine, but again we just don't have enough data.

 

What we do know, based solely quarterly release statements, is that cruise lines are still hemorrhaging cash at an alarming rate and that needs to change. 

[BermudaBound2014]

@Cate1 How are you doing? I hope this message finds you well on your way to recovery. As often happens, this post got a bit off track and I apologize for my part in that. 

 

When you are feeling up to it, perhaps you can share how you were treated at disembarkation and what happened post cruise. What I am most curious about is...  what would it take for you to cruise again?

 

Again, thank you for this thread and sharing your experiences and I hope you are feeling much better.